 |
|
|
Why?: |
| Author | Message |
|
Alan Hyde Senior Member Joined: 17 Apr 2003 No. of posts: 1416  View other posts by Alan Hyde |
Posted: 07 Sep 2004 There's a first time for everything. I've seen Grassys and lizards climbing before , but i've never seen adders doing this. A male at frensham yesterday 
Why would he be climbing? Al O-> O+> |
|
GemmaJF Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 No. of posts: 2090  View other posts by GemmaJF |
Posted: 07 Sep 2004 Hi Al, I've seen adder enter low bushes on the hunt for food before and climb to about 6ft, but never going straight up a tree trunk! I can only guess he was foraging. Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant |
|
Alan Hyde Senior Member Joined: 17 Apr 2003 No. of posts: 1416 View other posts by Alan Hyde |
Posted: 07 Sep 2004 Hi Gemma, :¼) Could be. I'm wondering if this snake was searching for cover. Yesterday was very breezey out at Frensham , and this tree was in an open exposed area. I'm thinking maybe this snake picked up our scent in the breeze and feeling caught out and exposed maybe he was desperately trying to find cover . I wonder. Cheers O-> O+> |
|
B Lewis Krag Committee Joined: 24 Aug 2004 No. of posts: 146  View other posts by B Lewis |
Posted: 07 Sep 2004 Hi Alan, If the tree was quite exposed could it be that the trunk held the heat from insolation and the animal was trying to obtain some radiated benefits. Just a guess as I've never seen adders do that before... Brett. Lewis Ecology Brett Lewis Photography Kent Reptile & Amphibian Group DICE - University of Kent |
|
Alan Hyde Senior Member Joined: 17 Apr 2003 No. of posts: 1416 View other posts by Alan Hyde |
Posted: 07 Sep 2004 Hi Brett :¼) Could've been mate , I dunno. However the snake was moving , not basking , and after we approached and I quickly took the pic he dropped straight off into a V at the base and curled up. Thanks for your thoughts Gemma, Brett Al  O-> O+> |
|
Mike Senior Member Joined: 15 Feb 2003 No. of posts: 74  View other posts by Mike |
Posted: 07 Sep 2004 Wasn't there an article in the BBC Wildlife magazine recently about Adders climbing trees possibly nest raiding?. I'll look back and try to find it.
Brickfields Park FREE 25th Anniversary Funday, 4th July 2010. Wildlife, Farm Animals, games, quizzes, refreshments and more. Fun for all. See - http://www.brickfieldspark.org/dates.htm |
|
evilmike Senior Member Joined: 15 May 2004 No. of posts: 85 View other posts by evilmike |
Posted: 07 Sep 2004 maybe he just fancied a good view or could be action adder gets his kicks from extreme sports? :P nice pics found a water vole about 2 metres up a very precarious bit of willow herbwhen i was carrying out a survey few weeks back he stayed put for some good pics before falling into the stream. in the right place at the right time to be lucky enough to witness some unusual behaviour :) Mike Lister BSc hons Ecology & Env management |
|
David Bird Forum Specialist Joined: 17 Feb 2003 No. of posts: 515 View other posts by David Bird |
Posted: 07 Sep 2004 I have had several reports from different colleagues in Croatia that the Sand Viper Vipera ammodytes goes up into trees in September and lays along the lower branches often at 2-3 m above the ground. I found it diificult to believe the first time I was told but now feel it is true. No one sems to know why. I have also found quite a few Glass Lizards Pseudopus apodus which have a very stiff bony body and not the best for climbing 2-3 m. basking in large bushes or small trees. Having one of those drop noisily from above ones head through the branches onto the ground as you walk past is quite a shock. British Herpetological Society Librarian and member of B.H.S Conservation Committee. Self employed Herpetological Consultant and Field Worker. |
|
Tony Phelps Forum Specialist Joined: 09 Mar 2003 No. of posts: 575 View other posts by Tony Phelps |
Posted: 07 Sep 2004 In the 70s an adder was found in a bat box 5m up a pine. I regularly see them well up gorse and laid out on top of bog myrtle. Smooth snakes do this too. Best one was large puff adder 10m up in a sociable weaver colony. At Durlston today had 3 neos on top of wall taking advantage of fresh sea breezes. Would have made a nice pic but have all my gear packed ready for SA. Tony |
|
GemmaJF Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 No. of posts: 2090 View other posts by GemmaJF |
Posted: 07 Sep 2004 On reflection Al, looking at his face in the second picture I think he just wanted to do something unusual to become a star on here! It really does look like it needs a caption saying 'and for my next trick'!!!! Interesting stuff about reptiles ascending trees in September, I wonder if they are maximising the last rays from the sun at the end of the day (I think Smith mentions this sort of behaviour in The British Amphibians and Reptiles), and compensating for shortening day length?? Was he agitated Al? I also wondered if he just made his way off in a bit of a hurry and the tree was a barrier, the first grassie I ever caught made a quite reasonable attempt to climb a vertical concrete wall of a flood control gate when I first came across it. Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant |
|
Wolfgang Wuster Senior Member Joined: 23 Apr 2003 No. of posts: 326 View other posts by Wolfgang Wuster |
Posted: 07 Sep 2004 Macrovipera schweizeri apparently spends much of September in bushes to hunt for birds. No idea whether this might apply here... Somewhere else, I read that Bitis nasicornis aso shows very pronouced arboreal tendencies - looking at them, I cannot think of a more unlikely candidate for an arboreal snake, but try telling that to the snakes...... ;-) Cheers, Wolfgang Wolfgang Wüster School of Biological Sciences, University of Wales, Bangor http://sbsweb.bangor.ac.uk/~bss166/ |
|
Tony Phelps Forum Specialist Joined: 09 Mar 2003 No. of posts: 575 View other posts by Tony Phelps |
Posted: 07 Sep 2004 Yes, nasicornis found in roofs of huts, Nandi Hills, Kenya (Steve Spawls pers com). Also found snouted night adder crawling along a beam in toilet Kruger Park. There were lots of Chiromantis squatting on the beams but I would have thought were too large for this small night adder, maybe the scent lured it? Conversely, Atheris Squamigera, a bush viper, spends an awful lot of time on the ground. Tony |
|
Alan Hyde Senior Member Joined: 17 Apr 2003 No. of posts: 1416 View other posts by Alan Hyde |
Posted: 07 Sep 2004 Thanks everyone for your thoughts and an interesting discussion. :¼) This snake was definitely on some kind of mission, he was about 5ft up the tree. Could he have been folowing the scent of a previously bitten lizard or something? I dunno , I looked but could not see anything up the tree. Gemma, LOL! Yep , I reckon you could be right , he definitely looks like a star in the making ;¼). BTW, the snake was in no way aggitated , he just dropped into the V and curled up tight. Tony ,Can't wait to see Nasicornis for myself in the wild , you lucky man. Have a good time in SA , and please keep us informed . Will you have access to a computer out there? Wolfgang, Hi mate , long time no speak. Hope life's treating you well . Also , for those into raptors , I was thrilled to watch a Hobby hunting dragonflies over the pond on the same day I saw this snake . Excellent stuff! Al O-> O+> |
|
Tony Phelps Forum Specialist Joined: 09 Mar 2003 No. of posts: 575 View other posts by Tony Phelps |
Posted: 07 Sep 2004 Hi Al et al Yes will be taking me laptop and hopefully will get on e-mail and be in touch. Today I was warned of a rogue baboon at one of my proposed study sites, one of the scientists there thinks he might be looking for a job as field assistant!! I am also looking foward to playing with my new Nikon D100. Oh yes, another boring fact, apart from the flowers bursting into colour right now out there; where I'm working the right whales will be coming in to mate and give birth, Yawn!! I'll shut up now then shall I?? T |
|
Alan Hyde Senior Member Joined: 17 Apr 2003 No. of posts: 1416 View other posts by Alan Hyde |
Posted: 08 Sep 2004 Nah, you carry on Tony , I love hearing about Africa. Are you going to take the baboon on ? ;¼) Al O-> O+> |
|
peachey Member Joined: 15 Sep 2004 No. of posts: 1 View other posts by peachey |
Posted: 15 Sep 2004 Hi all I am a new member, made aware of your group by David Bird. I contacted David, about a tree climbing adder a few weeks ago. My email is copied below, Dear David I was wondering if you help us with a query about adders. Whilst leading a guided yesterday in Queen Elizabeth Forest, (near Petersfield, Hants) I came across what was probably a female adder approx 24 - 28 inches in length climbing up a Western Hemlock tree. The tree was about 1.6 metres circumference at the base and the adder successfully climb to about a height of about 2metres, the circumference here being about 1 metre. There were very few branches available to the adder and it very cleverly used the protruding knots that were left from where branches had once been. We watched the adder for about 15 minutes, before it carefully picked it way down the tree, dropping about to the ground from about 1/2 metre. I then slid off none the worst for its adventure. Whilst I have seen adders climb through scrub vegetation and heather, I have never seen an adder climb such a tree. None of my colleagues had ever seen such a sight before. I was wondering how common this is ? and the question comes to mind why was it climbing the tree. I have seen snakes such as boomslangs, in South Africa going through trees, but they seem to be designed for it, I did not know that members of the viper / adder family actually climb trees. We managed to take some digital pictures of the adder, although they do not really do the event justice. I would welcome your comments ?
Steve Peach Conservation Ranger Queen Elizabeth Country Park & Butser Hill NNR |
- Why? |